1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method of displaying a screen of a portable device, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for effectively displaying information on each screen of a portable device and an image output unit, when a separate image output unit is connected to the portable device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable devices are now able to provide various pieces of information to a user through a separate digital device connected to the portable device. For example, portable device such as a smart phone may be connected to an image output unit such as an Internet Protocol (IP) television through a wired cable, a docking station, or a short-range wireless communication, for example, so as to display various images which are provided through the smart phone on the IP television. The images are displayed on a screen wider than that of the portable device, thereby improving user convenience and providing higher service quality.
The portable device may capture and store a screen that is displayed on a display unit. As illustrated in FIG. 1, for example, a smart phone 10 can capture entire images displayed on a current screen according to a screen capturing instruction, and store a captured file.
However, as illustrated in FIG. 2, if a tablet Personal Computer (PC) 20 is connected to an IP television 30 through a cable, a screen displayed on the tablet PC 20 may be identically displayed on the IP television 30. Likewise, as illustrated in FIG. 3, when the smart phone 10 is connected to the IP television 30 through a docking station 40, a screen displayed on the smart phone 10 may be identically displayed on the IP television 30.
When screen capture is performed by using the conventional portable device, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a screen to be displayed on the portable device is stored as an image file. For example, with a smart phone 10 in which various indicators relating to an execution image and a mobile communication are displayed on a screen as a specific application is activated, there is a problem in that the full screen including the various indicators is captured and stored instead of only the application execution image desired by the user.
When an image output unit is connected to the portable device, only a screen identical to that of the portable device is displayed on the image output unit. The image output unit cannot display a different screen from that of the portable device.
When the image output unit is connected to the portable device through the docking station 40, the portable device can display an image on an external image output unit in a displaying direction identical to that of the portable device mounted on the docking station 40. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 3, when the smart phone 10 is mounted on the docking station 40 in a vertical direction and is connected to the IP television 30, the IP television 30 outputs an image in the same vertical direction as the smart phone 10 displays the image even if the IP television is a landscape-type device. As described above, if the IP television 30 displayed the image in a horizontal direction, the user could recognize the image more naturally.